We live in an ESPN/CNN type of world now

Last night DS1 stayed up late with me to watch the Dallas Cowboys beat my favorite team in the whole wide world... the Carolina Panthers. For the most part i felt that it was a really good game. Especially for football fans. The game was tight, a good chess match type of deal. I am disappointed in a few things as a Carolina Panthers fan though. Muhsin Muhammad... dude... i know you thought that you were just playing decoy when you went deep on the first interception, but you are a big man, and Jake had been throwing to you... you had to have thought there was a chance it was coming your way... right? Regarding the touchdown that was called back, i saw the replay and i can see how they called you for the offensive pass interference, but i still disagreed with the call. You were once Carolina's #1 receiver... you still are loved and respected by this fan. Mr. Smith, i loved your - and Mr. Beason's - passion on the field and the sidelines. Please do not lose that. Steve, i also love and respect how you are man enough to stand up and take a hit for that second interception. A lot of the passing game is timing and being on the same page as the quarterback, thank you for stepping up like that. Football is a team sport and last night the game was lost as a team. I know organizations like ESPN, and some local sports writers, like to single out certain players and point the finger. But i know the Panthers can do better. There are thirteen games left in the season fellas... all you need are nine more victories to make this fan happy. I hope to read about a "players only" meeting in the next few days. If there are men on the team who are not moving at 100% i hope you call them out in front of their peers. I don't need to know or read about it. And since i have been writing like i am addressing the team (like any of them would even read this little blog of mine), Mr. Richardson... please do not listen to the media. I so respect and appreciate how you have managed your Football franchise. You have spoken to the men in your organization directly and you have maintained control. Don't let ESPN dictate how this team moves forward. Did you ever notice how news organizations like CNN, Fox, ESPN seem to have nothing better to do than make mountains out of foothills? I've heard them say that all they do is report the news... baloney. Sometimes it's not what you report, but what you don't report. Sometimes it's not what you say, but how you say it. I've already read that it's time to bench Delhomme, really? Because Feeley is all that better? Has anyone else seen just how average Moore is? Or what about daily reports of just how many soldiers (or civilians) were killed in Iraq or Afghanistan every day? How does that support the troops accomplish their mission when it undermines the support of their efforts at home? Look to how torn apart the Vietnam Veterans were when they first came home. It has taken over two decades to get them as a group to where they are today. It's hard as a population to get anything started, to build up any momentum. But it's very easy to get an avalanche started when it airs on TV. And it doesn't matter the political "leaning". If ever an industry could use the cold in-human touch of a computer it would be the news media. If you've read my blog for any amount of time you know that i am a science fiction lover. All of this talk about "Big Brother" in regards to media is reminding me of a show i really liked way back when ~ Max Headroom. Man i loved that show. I need to talk to my step-mom more. She could probably help me figure out just what it is that i like so much about the Cyberpunk and Post Apocalyptic genres. I know i would most likely NOT be like the hero's of such movies and books, but i am just fascinated and drawn to them. Recently i was reacquainted with an old game that i wanted to play, but could never get my friends on board ~ Shadowrun. Cybernetics, Elves and humans and orcs and dwarves, and magecorporations run amok. Intrigue, double crossing, morals being all one big gray area. Matrix-like hacking and networking. It has all of the elements i am drawn to in a fictional environment. Unfortunately most authors of those genres have a very low opinion of organized religion in general... and a really bad opinion of Christianity in particular. Perhaps it speaks to my sin nature... a desire to rebel against things that tell me what to do. But the great thing about my faith... it is not God telling me what to, but tell me what He has done... and my response to His actions.